CWNP Updated CWNA-109 Exam Questions and Answers by amelia-rose

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is the network service where option 43 must be configured to allow access points to locate controllers. DHCP is a protocol that allows a device to obtain an IP address and other network configuration parameters from a server. In a wireless controller scenario, the access points can use DHCP to request an IP address from a DHCP server, which can also provide the IP address or hostname of the wireless controller as an option in the DHCP response. Option 43 is a vendor-specific option that can be used to encode custom information for different types of devices. For example, Cisco access points can use option 43 to receive the IP address of the wireless controller from the DHCP server, while Aruba access points can use option 43 to receive the hostname of the wireless controller from the DHCP server. This way, the access points can discover the wireless controller and establish a connection with it. References: 1, Chapter 8, page 309; 2, Section 5.2

When a station scans for available wireless networks, it listens for beacon frames sent by APs. A beacon frame contains information about the BSS, such as SSID, supported rates, channel, security, etc. The station also measures the signal strength of the beacon frames, which indicates how well the station can communicate with the AP. The signal strength is usually expressed in dBm or RSSI units. The higher the signal strength, the better the connection quality and performance. Therefore, the station can use the signal strength of AP beacons as the primary metric to select the best AP for connectivity to the desired BSS12. References: CWNA-109 Study Guide, Chapter 6: Wireless LAN Devices and Topologies, page 249; CWNA-109Study Guide, Chapter 6: Wireless LAN Devices and Topologies, page 243.

Weak signal strength is the likely cause of the low data rate issue for the client that has a signal strength of -84 dBm and a noise floor of -96 dBm. The client is an 802.11ac client and connects to an 802.11ac AP. Both the client and AP are 2x2:2 devices. Signal strength is the measure of how strong the RF signal is at the receiver. Signal strength can affect the reliability and performance of the wireless connection, as well as the data rate and throughput of the traffic. The higher the signal strength, the better the signal quality and the higher the data rate. The lower the signal strength, the worse the signal quality and the lower the data rate.

The data rate of an 802.11ac connection depends on several factors, such as channel bandwidth, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), spatial streams, guard interval, and beamforming. However, these factors are also influenced by the signal strength, as they require a certain signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to operate properly. SNR is the ratio of the signal strength to the noise floor, which is the measure of the background noise or interference in the RF environment. The higher the SNR, the more robust and efficient the communication. The lower the SNR, the more prone and vulnerable to errors and retries.

According to the CWNA Official Study Guide , Table 3.7, page 112, an 802.11ac connection with a channel bandwidth of 80 MHz, an MCS of 9, two spatial streams, a short guard interval, and no beamforming can achieve a maximum data rate of 867 Mbps. However, this data rate requires a minimum SNR of 30 dB to maintain a sufficient signal quality. If the signal strength is -84 dBm and the noise floor is -96 dBm, then the SNR is only 12 dB (-84 dBm - (-96 dBm) = 12 dB), which is far below the required SNR for this data rate. Therefore, the data rate will drop significantly to match the lower SNR and signal quality.

To solve this problem, the signal strength should be increased to improve the SNR and data rate. This can be done by adjusting the output power or channel assignment of the AP or client, relocating or reorienting some APs or antennas to reduce attenuation or interference, updating or replacing some faulty oroutdated hardware or software components, etc. References: , Chapter 3, page 112; , Section 3.2

The feature of 802.11ax (HE) that provides this functionality is OFDMA. OFDMA stands for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access and is a technology that allows multiple devices to communicate simultaneously on the same channel in the same BSS. OFDMA works by dividing a channel into smaller subchannels called Resource Units (RUs), which are composed of groups of subcarriers or tones. Each RU can be assigned to a different device based on its bandwidth requirement and signal quality. This way, OFDMA can increase the efficiency and capacity of the channel by reducing overhead, contention, and latency. OFDMA can also support both uplink and downlink multi-user transmissions using trigger frames and buffer status reports. 6 GHz support, TWT, and Wi-Fi-LTE are not features of 802.11ax that provide this functionality. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: ExamCWNA-109], page 226; [CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: ExamCWNA-109], page 216.